There is one front and one battle where everyone in the United States—every man, woman, and child—is in action and will be privileged to remain in action throughout this war. That front is right here at home, in our daily lives and in our daily tasks. Here at home everyone will have the privilege of making whatever self-denial is necessary, not only to supply our fighting men, but to keep the economic structure of our country fortified and secure during the war and after the war.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s radio broadcast to the nation, April 28, 1942

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Aspirations

Dexter

ASPIRATIONS

I take a sketch pad
with me everywhere.
I practice drawing--
composition and perspective--
every day except Sunday.I’ve been studying the
Home Course in Cartooningfor two whole months!
Ask me anything about
complementary colors.
Go ahead, ask!

Sister Mary Thomas
says that twelve
may be a little young
for painting bombers,
but, since she’s
a patron of the arts,
she’ll let me repaint
the storeroom walls.

How Does This Work?

The poems are posted in roughly chronological order, beginning with the events of December 1941. Read from top to bottom. Ignore the posting dates as they have been changed in order to get the sequence correct now that the complete manuscript has been posted.